2017 Fritz Recipient: Erin Bell Altman
Little did I know the impact The Dressage Foundation has on our dressage community until they helped me attend the Young Rider Graduate Program, made the whole event possible, and opened my eyes to possibilities that a network of professionals can offer. TDF funds a lot of the educational events we attend to better ourselves. TDF is the wheel that keeps us rolling forward when we can’t individually afford to take the next steps alone. I would like to share with you how the Young Rider Graduate Program has affected me and how I believe it affects our dressage community as a whole.
From the very beginning when I fell in love with dressage, I have wanted it to be my profession. However, my question has always been, “How do I make it my real job?” Unlike the majority of professions, there isn’t a degree or six-month internship that will provide you with a job, let alone the necessary experience you need. The Young Rider Graduate Program IS the two-day crash course of the essential information you need if you want to make a business in this “hobby sport.” Just like you need the hands-on skills to provide a service, you also need to know marketing, law, social media, finance, career planning, and keep up with continuing education to be a successful professional. I have always been told that this is a hard life and you are better off doing something else. This was the first time I was surrounded by professionals who built me up and told me it WAS possible and then gave me the tools to do such. This program gives us the information on how, where, and who to ask the right questions so we can ignite our passion to share this sport instead of becoming lost with a lack of mentorship.
The first life-altering perspective change of the weekend was by the first speaker, Allyn Mann. How do you define success? Is it meeting “the mark” you have set for yourself or that others have put on you? His advice was, “What if your goal and your focus are about participating joyfully in your journey, not about achieving some mark? How do you think that will affect the people you meet and the doors that will open because of attitude you exude?” This reminded me of something I learned in the L program: It is the essence of a movement that makes it dressage not just the criteria.
The criteria are actions we are getting paid to do but it is the essence of ourselves that we are selling! The criteria are the teaching, training, boarding etcetera. The essence is our unique selling proposition (USP) that we market to clientele. They asked us “What is your brand?” Erin Bell Dressage… “Who is Erin and what makes her unique so that she marketable?” That blew my mind. I have always felt it was my passion that set me apart. But there I was with 20 others that were just as passionate about dressage. What makes me, ME?
They taught us that we have to make the time and take the time to better our inner-selves. Hilary Moore Hebert, Ali Brock and David Marcus opened up about how they balance their personal life with their professional life. Laura King and Andy Thomas enlightened us on how to keep our mind and body at peak performance. We should design our lifestyle so we can be our best selves for our clients. We were given contacts to respected trained professionals that can assist us with the bookwork side of doing business. I feel much more prepared and strategic in my approach for my career. I believe that this program will keep the sport of dressage growing for future generations by empowering the professionals that will sell this horse addiction that we brand by the name of “dressage.”
